• An here we read Jesus say that He Himself would fall into the ground in death and rise again bearing much fruit.

He desires that we abide in the vine and likewise bear much fruit.

• The Lord requires us to bear much fruit, as He resurrected bearing much fruit in bearing all the souls who would be saved.

• Anything done from our own human strength is useless to God’s kingdom.

John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

• They are infantile and must be fed and receive help.

• But what really blesses a pastor’s heart is when one of those saints of God, who always came to be ministered to, begin to minister to others and pray for others!
• They have just left the infantile stage and are experiencing maturity in the Spirit.

We need to grow and mature so that we are not only receiving all the time, but are ministering and giving to others.

• The Dead Sea is so dead due to all the salt and minerals within its waters that you actually float on the water.
• The deadness is due to the fact that the body of water receives water coming into it, but has never give water from it in return.

They always receive but they never give.

They grow stagnant.

They never mature.

• The Muslim religion and the Buddhist religion all fail the test of true religion.
• All religions except Christianity are simply false, and this is proven by the acid test of whether or not the religion stresses GIVING.

Buddhist monks seclude themselves away from the world and give nothing to anybody else, but get, get, get.

Some Christians are the same way, but Jesus never intended that.

Some Christians only seek heaven, street of gold, mansions and eternal life.

We are supposed to want Jesus, the most.

But also, true religion according to the apostles is to give, give, give.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

• Visit the fatherless and widows.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave ...

• And God’s very nature is to give.

• What are you giving?
• Even a testimony is giving.

I think we ought to clap a round of applause to our Sunday School teachers, deaf ministers, musicians, youth workers, ushers, bulletin producers, etc.

THEY ARE GIVING.

Draw from and produce!

• If you have coming to this church for years and are not producing anything yet, do not despair as though you will never be able to give.
• You need to draw from Christ so that you can produce.

Pray with us before service.

Draw from Christ.

• The Lord’s Prayer is a branch prayer.
• We ask God to give us this day our daily bread.

We receive nutrients like a branch receives from the vine.

Why?

So that we will produce!

We cannot do the will of God in our world without drawing from the Lord and receiving strength from Him.

We were never meant to tackle life in our own power.

Its not true that the Lord helps those who help themselves.

That is not found in the Bible.

Where did we get that idea from?

Without Him we can do nothing!

Help yourself, first, and you do nothing at all nor accomplish anything.

God helps those who rely upon Him!

• You need to minister to somebody!

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

• Draw from Christ and you will produce fruit of the Spirit.

Peace.

• God has the answers for all our problems.
• Tap into Him.

• There is a danger we must beware of as Christians and ensure we do not allow ourselves to fall into it.
Hebrews 6:7-8 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

• And there is a rain that falls upon our hearts that is meant to cause us to produce herbs and fruit.

• But the hearts that do not drink in the rain, will produce no fruit, but rather thorns and briars.
• Have you ever met a person whose personality was stinging?

• The very look on their face was always sour.
• You would be pierced everytime you approached them.
• These are souls who are cursed ground.
• They are the branches who are cut off from the vine since they bear no fruit.
• What is the rain?
Deuteronomy 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

• Some of you are already blossoming and producing fruit as I preach.

• You are drawing from and producing.
• But there could be some here who never produce anything of benefit.
• Instead you produce thorns and briars.

• As the days pass by, more and more rich revelation of the word is going to be given to us and we will preach it.
• Those who love God will abide in the vine and produce fuller and bigger fruit in their lives.
• But those who do not receive will bear more and more thorns and thistles from their hearts.
• They will see less and less goodness in the church due to blindness.
• And their lives will become more wicked.
• The earth will divide into two groups.
• Those who are wicked and those who love God.

Draw from Christ and you will bear fruit!

• Don’t just come to church and never produce nor give.
• Draw from and produce!

2 Corinthians 9:5-9 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

• Some of you perhaps never knew such a chapter existed in the Bible.
• Its here.
• And the bounty is referring to offerings of money.
• And Paul was inspired of God to write that if we give of our finances, God will ensure you abound in all grace!
• You will have sufficiency in all things.
• You will abound in every good work.
• And he quoted Psalm 112:3.
• The saint of God who disperses abroad and gives to the poor will have righteousness that remains forever!

• If you draw from God you will produce.

• This does include financial giving, because we must simply face the facts... the work of God requires finances.

Not just soaking everything up and never giving anything in return.

Don’t come and never give.